Device for the support and forming of temporarily deformable sheet or plate-like materials



Aug. 1, 1967 DEVICE FOR THE sUPP ORT AND FORMING OF TEMPORA DEFORMABLE SHEET OR PLATELIKE MATERIALS Filed Sept. 21, 1965 RILY 0 F. EDNELL 3,333,296

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INVENTOR Ddmc/ FredI-ik Eqhell BY W 7 7- ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,333,296 DEVICE FOR THE SUPPORT AND FORMING 0F TEMPORARILY DEFORMABLE SHEET 0R PLATE-LIKE MATERIALS Daniel Fredrik Ed'nell, Ed, Sweden Filed Sept. 21, 1965, Ser. No. 489,020 4 Claims. (Cl. 18-1) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for supporting and shaping deformable sheet or plate-like materials. Such device includes a frame having two opposed longitudinal side walls, said side walls of the frame each having a portion with a plurality of vertical slots therein spaced longitudinally of the wall. A plurality of rigid rods span the distance between the side walls and have their opposite ends received in opposing slots in said side walls of the frame. Longi-tudinally extending exchangeable patterns are provided, such patterns having upper, rod-supporting surfaces which have the configuration of the finished sheet to be shaped on the device. The device preferably includes means for preventing the endwise escape of the rods therefrom.

Many materials, produced as sheets in determined configurations, are plastic at one stage of the treatment or other, for instance while the material still retains a high moisture content or is warm, or not yet hardened.

While the sheet material is in this condition it is important to support it in such a way that it retains its shape until it becomes self supporting.

Fire-proof sheets used for instance in foundry technique must be produced having many different cross sections, and it is hardly feasible in practice to provide a solid support for each separate configuration and the aim of the invention is to provide a support device which is easily adjustable for adapting to the various cross section configurations as may be necessary.

According to the invention this is achieved in that the actual support is formed by rods or bars, rigid in themselves, the ends of which bear against easily exchangeable patterns or templets, which, at the bearing edge of the rods, have such a configuration that the supporting rods fit into, and adapt to the configuration of the sheet to be supported. The templets or patterns, as previously mentioned, are exchangeable, so that the form of the support device may be varied from sheet to sheet if necessary. The sheet remains on the support until it is set and becomes self supporting by being dried for instance, or becoming cold.

The invention thus relates to a device for the support and forming of temporarily deformable sheet or plate-like materials, and it is substantially characterized in that it comprises a plurality of rigid, parallel rods which are movable in direction upward and downward in relation to one another in a frame in which the ends of the rods rest on exchangeable patterns, the bearing surfaces of which having the desired form of the finished sheet.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is characterized by the ends of the rods being mounted in vertical slots in two opposing side walls of a frame, and the invention is further distinguished in that the side walls of the frame are formed by two longitudinal channels, the wall of the channel facing towards the center portion of the device being provided with the said slots for guiding the rods, while the outer wall of the channel maintains the rods in place and also forms a guide for the pattern to be inserted for adjustment of the supporting rods.

In order to clarify the invention it is described more closely in the following with reference to the drawings where:

FIG. 1 in partial section shows the device according to the invention seen from above,

FIG. 2 shows a section along the lines II-II of FIG. and

FIG. 3 shows a section along the lines III-III of FIG. 2.

The support is formed, according to the invention, suitable number of rods 1 which are so closely adjacent one another that the material will not sink into the spaces even when it is soft. The spaces between the rods 1 must therefore be adapted to the material to be supported.

The rods 1, by their ends, are mounted in vertical slots 2, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The slots 2 are located in the side walls of a frame, and the slots must be as high as the presumed greatest height of the form of the sheet to be supported. In the shown example the side walls 3 in the frame comprise channels of, for instance, steel plates, the outer wall 4 serving to prevent the rods 1 from gliding out in longitudinal direction, and the channels form, moreover, guides for a pattern 5, which, when inserted into channel 3 under the rods 1, raises these to the stippled positions shown in FIG. 2, for support of the suggested sheet 6. By varying the form of the patterns or templets 5, it is possible to adapt the rods 1 to any pattern for support of temporarily plastic sheets of any crosssectional configuration, with no other forming operation than the adaption of two templets which may be of easily deformable material and of a thickness of no more than 78 mm., for insertion in the small space 7, between a wall in the channel and an upwardly directioned portion 8 which may also support the ends of the rods 1, when these are in lower position in the slots 2. Without the patterns or templets the device may be used as support for plane sheets.

The templets may, as mentioned, be of any suitable material, and as example may be mentioned fibre plates, veneer sheets and the like, which may be rapidly cut as desired, with suitable tools.

The shown example serves only to illustrate the invention and forms no limit for this since other embodiments of the invention are possible, for instance the side walls may be affected in a diflferent way than as the closed channel, but such embodiments also come within the scope of the invention, since by a simple exchange of templets it is possible to alter the form of the support.

I claim:

1. A device for supporting and shaping deformable sheet or plate-like materials, comprising a frame having two opposing longitudinal side walls, said side walls of the frame each having a portion with a plurality of vertical slots therein spaced longitudinally of the wall, a plurality of rigid rods having their opposite ends received in opposing slots in said side walls of the frame, longitudinally extending exchangeable patterns the upper, rod supporting surface of which have the configuration of the finished sheet to be shaped on the device, and means at each side wall for receiving and positioning said patterns for engagement by said rods.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the means for receiving and positioning the patterns comprises means for retaining the rods from endwise escape from the device.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the means for receiving and positioning the patterns comprises means forming longitudinally extending channels along each side of the frame, said side walls forming the laterally inner walls of each channel, each channel having laterally outer walls which confront the respective end of the rods and retain the rods from endwise escape from the device.

3 4 4. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the confronts the respective end of the rods and retains the means for receiving and positioning the patterns comrods from endwise escape from the device. prises a first means forming a first, laterally outwardly open longitudinal channel formed in each side wall of References Cited the frame, the said vertically slotted portion of the side 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS wall forming the laterally inner wall of the first channel,

and a second means forming a second, laterally inwardly 482,911 9/ 1892 Adler 33-175 open longitudinal channel, said second means interfitting 2,348,920 5/ 1944 Ott 269-296 with and being retained by said first means, said second means having an upstanding laterally outer wall which 10 WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR SUPPORTING AND SHAPING DEFORMABLE SHEET OR PLATE-LIKE MATERIALS, COMPRISING A FRAME HAVING TWO OPPOSING LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS, SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE FRAME EACH HAVING A PORTION WITH A PLURALITY OF VERTICAL SLOTS THEREIN SPACED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE WALL, A PLURALITY OF RIGID RODS HAVING THEIR OPPOSITE ENDS RECEIVED IN OPPOSING SLOTS IN SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE FRAME, LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING EXCHANGEABLE PATTERNS THE UPPER, ROD SUPPORTING SUFRFACE OF WHICH HAVE THE CONFIGURATION OF THE FINISHED SHEET TO BE SHAPED ON THE DEVICE, AND MEANS AT EACH SIDE WALL FOR RECEIVING AND POSITIONING SAID PATTERNS FOR ENGAGEMENT BY SAID RODS. 